POSSIBLE USGA METALWOOD BAN COULD HAVE FAR-REACHING EFFECTS

If the USGA goes ahead with a possible ban on metal
clubs, it would put golf pros "in a tight spot, since they
make their living with the equipment," according to James
Peltz of the L.A. TIMES. Reports say that golf pros are
currently "split" over the issue. Regarding a possible ban,
Callaway Golf Chair Ely Callaway said it's "very premature"
to say whether his company would sue the USGA to block a
rules change, but that "he doesn't dismiss the idea either."
Peltz: "After all, Callaway sold stock on the basis of its
clubs being USGA approved" (L.A. TIMES, 5/30). In N.Y.,
Phil Mushnick wrote that the issue "is loosely about golf
... it's about greed." He added that the debate also puts
the golf media "in a perilous predicament," as many golf
analysts are being paid by the same companies who could be
affected by the ban. Mushnick cites NBC's Johnny Miller, a
Callaway spokesperson, and CBS's Gary McCord, who endorses
Taylor Made, as examples of TV personalities whose opinions
on the subject would be "worthless" (N.Y. POST, 5/31).
THE ADAMS FAMILY: Adams Golf, whose revenues have gone
from less than $1M three years ago to more than $30M last
year boosted by its Tight Lies club, was profiled by PBS's
Byron Harris on "Nightly Business Report." Harris: "Now the
problem is the competition, like Callaway Golf, which spends
more on R&D than Adams grosses" ("NBR," PBS, 5/29).